As expected, Juan Soto is commanding the news cycle as winter meetings draw nearer. The superstar, who took up residence with the New York Yankees this past season, is expected to get a massive contract across over a decade.
At just 26 and having helped bring the Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years last season, everyone wants him.
The Boston Red Sox held an informational session with Soto to pitch him on coming to play for the Red Sox in Southern California on Thursday night. The meeting was three hours long and described as productive by Sean McAdam of MassLive. Soto was described as “impressed.”
During the meeting, Soto inquired about three things in particular, according to McAdam: The team’s commitment to winning, how it evaluates players, and Fenway Park and its facilities.
The last item is particularly noteworthy since it could be viewed as a big advantage or disadvantage to the Red Sox, depending on Soto’s perspective. Fenway Park is the oldest stadium in MLB. If you value tradition, that’s great. If you want modernity, well, you can only put so many fresh coats of paint on a 110-plus-year-old park. The locker room was revamped ahead of 2023.
It’s a factor that also implicates the Chicago Cubs, whose Wrigely Field is just two years younger than Fenway Park. It’s unclear how engaged the Cubs will be, if at all, on Soto in free agency, but they haven’t appeared in any reports to this point.
